IRM Hits the Road: We Commission Rail Link Buses!

[Warbonnet]

Well then, how many of you saw that coming?

Okay, one of you did. A most astute guess! 

We have commissioned Britbus of Hong Kong to produce a batch of Dublin Bus Volvo Olympian bus in the distinctive Rail Link colour scheme using existing Britbus diecast tooling!

Four Volvo Olympians were delivered new in this new branding for Rail link from Walter Alexander bus builders in Northern Ireland to Dublin bus in mid-1999, registration numbers 99-D-517, 99-D-518, 99-D-519 and 99-D-520, with a fleet number of RV 517, RV 518, RV 519, and RV 520 respectively.

All four buses were based at Conyngham Road Garage for Route 90 operation between Heuston Station and Connolly Station via Tara Street station. They also found use on the 91 bus route between Heuston Station and Aston Quay. They also infrequently operated other routes such as the 78A, 51B/C, 76 and others on rare occasions!

By May 2000, Guinness sponsored the all over adverts on the four buses and the rail link livery disappeared. By June 2003, the four buses were repainted into normal Dublin Bus fleet livery.

The attractive nature of the livery meant it lived long in the memory. We have been looking at doing road vehicles for a while and felt that this already tooled model in 1:76.2 model would be of interest to both our existing railway modeller customer base with its railway connections and bus collectors alike.

If these models prove to be successful we will be looking at opening up to do other road vehicle as accessories, including newly tooled models from scratch! 

Two different bus numbers, one as RV517 (99-D-517) with the route 90 – Connolly Station, and the other as RV520 (99-D-520) with route number 91 Heuston Station. Please note the pair photographed here are pre-production samples and the production models will feature slight corrections. 

Both are highly limited in number, with just 252 of each being produced. They also come in special IRM branded sleeves mimicking the livery! These 00 gauge buses make the perfect vehicle for your Irish outline layout and collection.

Prices are €59.99 each and they can be ordered now for dispatch following their arrival from China in two weeks time by clicking this link!

IRM would like to sincerely thank BritBus, Adrian Lemon, Derek Farrelly and Darren Hall for their invaluable assistance in this project.

[Warbonnet]

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT BUMP! 

[DoctorPan]

Jesus is the website right in saying they're already sold out?

 

If so, fair play lads that's got to be a record.

[BosKonay]

3 minutes ago, DoctorPan said:

Jesus is the website right in saying they're already sold out?

 

If so, fair play lads that's got to be a record.

 

Maybe hit refresh? They are on sale now

[mphoey]

well done guys buses finally now to work out which 121s get replaced by these

 

[Warbonnet]

Thanks everyone! As we said it's a toe in the water to see if there is much interest in vehicles on layouts. Judging by the sales so far there seems to be a bit of interest in these!

Thank you to everyone who has ordered so far!

[Railer]

Great new addition. I went to get a KD model at either the Raheny or Blackrock shows one year and they were gone so fast. Great price too.

[mphoey]

will do my orders next week hopefully will still be in stock

[Georgeconna]

Yay a Dublin yoke!. Pressures off thankfully. 

Good luck with it though.

 

[Edo]

They look lovely alright - I remember them well .

tho i used to get the 78a from Aston quay to heuston in my college days ....a dirty green single decker with students hangin out of the roof and a plume of diesel and cigarette smoke coming out of the back.....

Back in the pre covid days when i had this stuff called disposable income...id have picked up a few....now - after all the 42 stuff and the impending 121s and As......id probably be force fed them by herself if I did......we'll see.....they look great tho.

 

 

[Tarabuses]

I was expecting a Railink bus model but thought it would be from someone else.

Any more plans for bus models?

 

[Galteemore]

3 minutes ago, Edo said:

They look lovely alright - I remember them well .

tho i used to get the 78a from Aston quay to heuston in my college days ....a dirty green single decker with students hangin out of the roof and a plume of diesel and cigarette smoke coming out of the back.....

Back in the pre covid days when i had this stuff called disposable income...id have picked up a few....now - after all the 42 stuff and the impending 121s and As......id probably be force fed them by herself if I did......we'll see.....they look great tho.

 

 

The 15 from College green to Rathmines for me - although usually walked it. Lovely models.

[Warbonnet]

4 minutes ago, Tarabuses said:

I was expecting a Railink bus model but thought it would be from someone else.

Any more plans for bus models?

 

Hi Tony,

Certainly, all vehicles including buses will be under consideration should these sell well!

Cheers!

Fran

[DJ Dangerous]

Absolutely outstanding, thank you!!!

[mphoey]

if theres to be newly tooled a lot of irish vehicles could appear as well as buses such as trucks ambulances and fire engines that are not available currently that would also have an appeal to uk markets such as a lot of the hanlon built ambulances

[Tarabuses]

47 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi Tony,

Certainly, all vehicles including buses will be under consideration should these sell well!

Cheers!

Fran

I'll make sure they sell well by placing my order. 

[Warbonnet]

1 minute ago, Tarabuses said:

I'll make sure they sell well by placing my order. 

Much obliged! 

[Railer]

Depending on how these sell (I expect very well) what would be a ballpark lead time and the next plan from this. I'm assuming you have a "next" option model to move to.

Cough, cough KD class cough,

[Warbonnet]

1 minute ago, Railer said:

Depending on how these sell (I expect very well) what would be a ballpark lead time and the next plan from this. I'm assuming you have a "next" option model to move to.

Cough, cough KD class cough,

No lead time as it's all new to us.

An excellent model of the KD already exists, so wont be that. 

[Railer]

1 minute ago, Warbonnet said:

 

An excellent model of the KD already exists, so wont be that. 

It sure is an excellent model, I just missed the boat and I can't get my hand on one. It's just nostalgia for me growing up as they were always on the 29A route.

[Warbonnet]

Just now, Railer said:

It sure is an excellent model, I just missed the boat and I can't get my hand on one. It's just nostalgia for me growing up as they were always on the 29A route.

I would imagine there will be a future run of them as the tooling exists, worth keeping an eye out for updates. 

[Broithe]

From '95 to 2008-ish, I made regular boat/train crossings, initially to Dun Laoghaire, then later to the North Wall.

The initial system was to use the DART to Tara Street, then the 90 to Heuston.

After the change to the North Wall, there was a bus for foot passengers, which did a Connoly, Busaras, Tara Street , Heuston run.

It was almost always the same driver, and the "regulars" got to know him.

i used to bring all sorts of stuff, in my 'disposable suitcase' - a large cardboard box, strapped up for the journey, and which I didn't need to return with, empty.

On one occasion, he began to think that he was being set up for some bizarre 'candid camera' caper.

I had brought over a bundle of guttering for our sheds, to avoid using 'huge' stuff where it wasn't necessary, but I had omitted to bring the dimensions with me, so I had left it all in the supplied two metre lengths, which was a bit of a game to get into the bus, past the passengers, pushchairs, suitcases and giant rucksacks, etc.

No soon had I managed to get in and sat down, with a few people prepared to cope with my pack of guttering on their shoulders, than another chap appeared from the carousel door - this time with a bundle of full-size house guttering - in four metre lengths.

After we had convinced the driver that this wasn't a set-up and a telegraph pole was going to appear next, we managed to feed it in through the rear emergency exit and pass it over the heads of the lower floor passengers....

 

Will there be an accessory pack, containing a selection of guttering?

[Northman]

Don't forget about some N.Ireland buses.

[K801]

........and a bus stop pack

[Mick]

Well done gents. You got my money! Lovely bus! 

[ttc0169]

7 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

I would imagine there will be a future run of them as the tooling exists, worth keeping an eye out for updates. 

Another excellent choice and the order has duly been placed...

You might consider this livery version at some stage, I am sure it would be a winner....

(Copyright acknowledged to D.Hall)

[DJ Dangerous]

Was the Olympian also painted in City Swift livery, and a City Imp style livery?

[Ironroad]

2 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Was the Olympian also painted in City Swift livery, and a City Imp style livery?

Some info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_Olympian

[Robert Shrives]

In North Wales we had a version of the Olympian - the DOG by Crosville designation ....     I recall one trying on the south coast trying to get to the beach having run away at Bournemouth.   Hope they sell well.  

Robert  

[NIR]

17 hours ago, Northman said:

Don't forget about some N.Ireland buses.

Yes, a phlanx of Ulsterbus huddling together for safety at every station!

[Warbonnet]

10 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Was the Olympian also painted in City Swift livery, and a City Imp style livery?

Two tone green, Cityswift, Cream, orange and dark blue core livery and current yellow and blue were the four main fleet liveries for the Olympians. Of course, there were many one off liveries too. 

Cheers!

Fran

11 hours ago, ttc0169 said:

Another excellent choice and the order has duly been placed...

You might consider this livery version at some stage, I am sure it would be a winner....

(Copyright acknowledged to D.Hall)

Don't forget the fasttrack one too!

 

[mphoey]

All the olympians released so far 

[mphoey]

22 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

I would imagine there will be a future run of them as the tooling exists, worth keeping an eye out for updates. 

with the way rapido has done the plastic buses could irm do the same for say the likes of a bombardier in plastic and release on different routes liveries to cover the development cost

[Warbonnet]

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know that we have passed the 50% sold figure on these, so we would advise hopping on them as soon as you can. Thanks to everyone who ordered and repaid our faith!

Cheers!

Fran

[mphoey]

1 hour ago, Warbonnet said:

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know that we have passed the 50% sold figure on these, so we would advise hopping on them as soon as you can. Thanks to everyone who ordered and repaid our faith!

Cheers!

Fran

great news and means that you will look at more in the future hopefully